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Busan Metropolitan City Launches Joint Public-Private Inspection of Waste Entering Regional Processing Facilities

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) has announced that July has been designated as the “Month of Intensive Inspection of Regional Waste Processing Facilities” and that the city will conduct joint public-private inspections of vehicles transporting waste to these facilities.

This inspection initiative comes in response to a surge in waste generation caused by an increase in single-person households and hotter-than-usual weather, as well as increased use of disposable products. These trends have led to more frequent cases of recyclables being improperly disposed of in standard volume-rate garbage bags. The inspections aim to identify such violations in waste transport vehicles and raise public awareness on proper waste separation, thereby fostering a culture of responsible recycling.

The inspections will target vehicles delivering waste to regional processing facilities, including incineration, landfill, and fuel conversion sites. The inspection teams will comprise 12 units and more than 60 personnel from the city government, the Busan Environmental Corporation, and community monitoring staff.

Key inspection items include: ▲ whether recyclables or food waste are mixed into standard volume-rate garbage bags; ▲ use of non-standard bags; ▲ whether businesses comply with the source labeling system for household waste; and ▲ whether recyclables are mixed in with other waste.

For any violations found, the city plans to impose strong penalties in accordance with waste management laws and municipal ordinances, including fines, corrective orders, and bans on further waste deliveries by offending vehicles.

Under current regulations governing waste intake at regional processing facilities: ▲ households must separate recyclables and food waste before disposing of them in standard volume-rate bags; and ▲ businesses generating 300 kilograms or more of waste per day must indicate the name and phone number of the waste generator on the garbage bags.

Additionally, ▲ waste collectors and transporters are required to check whether the bags are properly labeled with the generator’s information and to ensure that recyclables and food waste are not mixed before collection.

Lee Byeong-seok, Director General of the Environmental Policy Office, stated, “This inspection initiative is part of our effort to ensure the efficient and stable operation of regional waste processing facilities by encouraging proper waste disposal.” He added, “In line with the central government’s policy to ban direct landfilling of combustible waste by 2030, we urge all citizens to actively participate in separating their waste properly.”